Each type of archetype has a special type for a specific type. This is especially true of the Gangster genre. Popular in the 1930s, this genre is about impatience. A “hero” is a man who wants everything, but does not want to go through the normal ways. The typical gangster in these stories has no time to slowly advance through the ranks – he wants it all, and he wants it now.
The power of this type looks at the rise and fall of the man who breaks the rules of society. As Icarus reaches for the sun, the thief must lose everything. The roots of this genre are imbued in Greek mythology, where hubris is always swiftly punished by the gods.
Gangster Genre Motifs
1. The hero is a villager who hates his lowly position in life and wants more.
2. Unlike the western, this story takes place in a big city. Open fields are traded in the wild alleys and alleys of the city.
3. A bark can only be possessed by taking it. It is best to be saved, and the only law is the law of the wild.
4. The only loyalty he feels to his bark is his immigrant roots.
5. Success is measured in material goods – flashy cars, expensive clothes, mansions. Women’s remedies are good.
6. Against the heroes is society and executives of the law. The police, the FBI, and the CIA are the guardians of the social status quo.
7. The end justifies the means.
Classy gangster movies around when Jimmy Cagney learned to eat grapefruit. It is a powerful representation of the underworld American dream. The gangster’s inability to fit into society eventually results in his downfall in classic form. More recent movies have added new twists to the genre. Latra perishes not by association, but by treachery from within. This twist represents a shift in American culture from looking at the “ten” society as a unified whole, to a society so fragmented that it doesn’t provide the united front necessary to do the kind of work in today’s setting.
Classical Genre Gangster
City Streets – (1931) Directed by: Rouben Mamoulian (like Al Capone’s favorite film)
Little Caesar — (1930) Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy
The Public Enemy — (1931) Directed by: William Wellman
Key Largo — (1948) Directed by: John Huston
Bonnie and Clyde — (1967) Directed by: Arthur Penn
The Godfather (1972) Directed by: Francisco Ford Coppola
Scarface — (1983) Directed by: Brian De Palma
Given the popularity of the Scarface remake, it’s worth examining this film in the context of the genre. Every element, from Tony Montana’s immigrant status to his show’s rise and fall, can be found in meetings of the Gangster genre. This in no way takes away from the practice of moving, but enhances it. This is the kind of power. We know it will be a long time before Carmen does. In fact, we can’t wait for it to fall. It is not fair that he should have all these resources, while I work in none of my work, according to the rules. The right hand serves him. He deserves what he gets in the end. This is the psychological support for the Gangster Genre, and seeing strong cases has been adopted by the masses since the time of Aristotle.
When the genre was developed, it was changed in the West to keep it fresh for new audiences. The 60’s counterculture provided the impetus for the greatest upheaval of the genre – the role played by gangsters and the police. But he was a cop who was bad, or at least I read that he was giving in to doing good. The main film is a combination of genres between Western and Gangster. So who better stars in the movie that broke this genre than Clint Eastwood.
Subversions of the Gangster Genre
Dirty Harry – (1971) Directed by: Don Siegel (and sequels)
Reservoir Dogs – (1992) Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Clockers (1995) – Directed by: Spike Lee
Carlito’s Way (1993) Directed by: Brian De Palma
Pulp Fiction (1994) by: Quentin Tarantino
Since many other examples could be included, I think you get the picture. The race is flexible and treacherous. The proto-story can be used in almost every milieu and often the film noir genre (although I’ve kept it separate for this article).
As society becomes increasingly disorganized, the Gangster genre offers new opportunities for screenwriters and filmmakers to create entertainment that challenges a wide spectrum of films.
